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Daryl Tuffey: our boy’s dramatic delivery

The harrowing ordeal cricketing champion Daryl Tuffey and his wife Dearne went through for their new baby Connor.

As Daryl Tuffey gently strokes the head of his son Connor, it’s clear the champion cricketer has been bowled over by his little boy. At nine months, Connor is, by his parents’ admission, a dream baby, but in his first few weeks he managed to put both Daryl (33) and his wife Dearne (36) into a spin.

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Black Cap Daryl – who’s played 26 test matches for New Zealand – says he wasn’t initially worried when his fitness instructor wife began to feel strange twinges four weeks before her due date. “We went to the obstetrician thinking everything was fine, then found out Dearne’s waters had broken and the baby was transverse,” says Daryl, who has just finished a season playing for Auckland after recovering from a serious arm injury.

“We ended up going straight to the hospital for an emergency Caesarean. It was a bit of a shock but I was eager for him to join the world, so I was happy.” The laid-back pair took it all in their stride, with Daryl even peeking over the sheet to witness his son’s first moments.

Dearne smiles, “When the doctor handed him over, my first reaction was relief that he was fine, then I felt ecstatic.” The next challenge came after the new parents brought Connor home a week after his birth. “It was pretty rough to begin with, because he couldn’t regulate his own temperature,” says Daryl. “We didn’t really know what was going on at the time – we were just watching it drop on the monitor.”

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“He spent a lot of time just lying on one of us so that our body temperatures would help raise his,” explains Dearne. “It was really full-on and at times I felt quite scared.” Daryl smiles at his wife and adds, “It was like he’d popped out and then thought, ‘Oh, I’m not ready.’ Our wee fella just had to work a bit harder.”

Thankfully Connor pulled through, and Dearne and Daryl, who both come from a family of four, have adjusted to parenthood brilliantly. “Connor’s been a dream,” says Dearne, glowing. “We’ve been so lucky. He’s always smiling and laughing – you rarely hear him cry. We’re relaxed, so hopefully that’s rubbed off on him.”

And although Daryl’s cricket season was blighted by his injury, which kept him out of play for weeks at a time, it’s given the talented bowler the chance to spend quality time with his son. “Right from the start, Daryl got straight in there and started helping out,” says Dearne proudly.

“I never had to ask. He’s a very caring, gentle person anyway and that really shows with Connor. He loves taking him for walks in his pram along the beach. It’s lovely to see big men show their softer side. When I watch them interact I find it quite emotional.”

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“As the dad you can feel like you’re pretty useless, especially at the start,” says Daryl. “When Connor was waking in the night during those first few weeks I’d trot downstairs like a zombie and heat up the bottle for the expressed milk. “Then I’d make sure Dearne was comfortable because, of course, she was still recovering from major abdominal surgery. But not that you’d have known, because she’s a trouper.”

And although Dearne has missed the regular exercise her fitness job used to provide, she’s happy to focus on motherhood. “I’ve always been very career-oriented, but I’m really enjoying being with Connor as much as I can. “We will never complain – this is the way we wanted to raise him. It feels like the best thing we’ve ever done.”

There’s even been talk of extending the family in the not-too-distant future, but for now the beaming mum is happy to have her son in her arms. “I feel complete now I have Connor,” she says. “It feels like this is what I was meant to do.”

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